Breaking News

Let’s say Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, and other lawmakers incensed over AIG’s bonuses win their battle. The AIG

State Senator Rollie Heath, D-Boulder, is undaunted. As schools were being systematically defunded by the Legislature during this last session, he floated the idea of a tax increase to fund schools. Then he announced plans to take it before the voters with an initiative this November.

A report released today by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Diabetes Association, the American Lung Association and the health care consumer group Families USA shows that Medicaid plays a vital role in providing health care to Floridians with chronic illnesses. The report, “Medicaid’s Impact in Florida” (.pdf), states: Tens of thousands of Floridians with serious health care needs rely on Medicaid for their health coverage. There are several reasons why many of these Floridians have Medicaid coverage, which include the nature of the Medicaid program and some of the ways people become eligible for it

GUANTANAMO BAY -- Col. Patrick Parrish, the judge presiding over Omar Khadr’s military commission, gaveled the third day of the proceedings into session. For

Last week, the discovery that iPhones and 3G iPads hold onto all locations logged by internal GPS systems sparked an outcry in the technology press and among

In June, the White House issued a report making the case that health reform -- well beyond a moral and social imperative -- is also vital to the economic health

Since the Obama administration doesn’t seem all that concerned about potential conflicts of interest of having private fund managers advising the government on

On Tuesday, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal released the results of a survey that he had requested from the state agriculture commissioner on farm labor shortages in

Progressive politics coalition Campaign for a Strong Colorado says state Treasurer Walker Stapleton should follow the advice he provided to the U.S. House Ways and Means committee this week when he argued in favor of the Public Employee Pension Transparency Act

The Price of Sprawl logo (Pic via priceofsprawl.com) Nearly a year after the so-called “Hometown Democracy” amendment was soundly defeated in the state of Florida, the group that backed it has unveiled a website detailing the negative effects of urban sprawl in various counties throughout the state. The Hometown Democracy/Amendment 4 initiative would have required a voter referendum whenever a local government amended its comprehensive land-use plan, giving citizens a role in approving urban development. Lesley Blackner, president of Hometown Democracy, argued that “irresponsible overdevelopment leads to higher taxes and lower quality of life” and Amendment 4 would “give voters the right to decide if a proposed change to the community plan is worthwhile for the community.” Yet voters overwhelmingly rejected the amendment at the ballot box, perhaps due to efforts by the well-funded group that opposed it, Citizens for Lower Taxes and a Stronger Economy

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced that it deported record numbers of immigrants in fiscal year 2011 on the same day immigrant advocates announced a national day of action called “Obama, Immigration and the Latino Community.” A press release issued by Presente.org and Florida Immigrant Coalition states: Latinos, immigrants and their allies will hold a National Day of Action called “Obama, Immigration and the Latino Community” on Tuesday, October 18 in 10 cities across the nation – Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Milwaukee, New York, San Francisco, and Tucson. In conjunction with Presente.org , Latino community leaders, clergy, and family members devastated by the controversial Secure Communities (SCOMM) racial profiling program and the immigrant detention policies of President Obama will participate in simultaneous screenings of PBS Frontline special, “Lost in Detention,” airing in the evening on October 18

Anti-abortion-rights media group Heroic Media recently launched a new online strategy that violates Google policy. The Texas-based organization -- best known

Following censure earlier this year from the national conservative research group the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, the Texas State Board of Education’s hotly

Just when I thought the Wright controversy was affecting superdelegates thoughts on Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), I find out that Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) plans

The Boston Globe ran a fantastic story Sunday about the lessons Congress can learn from the passage 20 years ago of a successful cap-and-trade program to combat

In the battle for the Republican nomination for president, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann edged out former Massachusetts Gov.

With presidential hopeful Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s blessing, as of this month, Texas women’s health clinics and hospitals that provide medical and

The Christian Family Coalition says “anti-American extremists and racists” forced the cancellation of an appearance by Rep. Allen West, R-Fort Lauderdale, at an upcoming Wilton Manors Business Association meeting. # In response to West’s announced appearance , Michael Rajner, legislative director of the Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus, demanded that Celeste Ellich, president of the Business Association, disinvite West

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. (Pic via Facebook) The American Conservative Union announced today that Sen

Controversial anti-gay minister Bradlee Dean and his evangelical band/ministry You Can Run But You Cannot Hide International (YCR) are suing The American Independent News Network’s senior reporter, Andy Birkey, and are threatening to also sue our site The Minnesota Independent. Rachel Maddow, who also reported about Dean on her MSNBC show, is also named in the suit, which seeks $50 million in damages. The lawsuit describes Andy as taking “a ‘special interest’ in Plaintiffs Dean and YCR because he is a secularist and/or atheist and gay activist with a politically left ideology who despises people of faith.” However, Andy’s award-winning coverage of YCR has received wide praise, including the Society of Professional Journalist’s (SPJ) first prize for Best Continuing Coverage . SPJ stated that Andy took “an even-handed approach into a weighty subject sure to provoke controversy from various standpoints.” We read your comments, tweets, Facebook messages, and emails and know you agree that Andy’s coverage, along with the rest of the reporting by The American Independent News Network, is excellent.

Michigan’s Emergency Manager law is part of a nationwide effort to shrink the electorate in a way that disproportionately eliminates blacks and other voters of color, the NAACP said last week as its members passed a resolution condemning such laws. “We think that it attacks the voting rights of minorities and urban populations,“ said NAACP Detroit Branch President Rev. Dr

A national nonprofit that’s drawn criticism for allowing corporations to write legislation directly with state lawmakers can be traced to bills introduced in Minnesota last session, including language that would shield large corporations from consumer lawsuits and undermine greenhouse gas reduction goals. The bills were revealed as Common Cause released a report on the influence of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which is financially supported by corporations like Koch Industries and Wal-Mart. At regular conferences, including one going on in New Orleans right now, these corporations draft corporate-friendly legislation that is approved by state legislators on legislative task forces and then introduced at state capitols across the country without disclosure that the business interests wrote them. “The work of ALEC shows how the Minnesota capitol is governed by corporate lobbyists instead of main street voters,” said Mike Dean, executive director of Common Cause Minnesota.

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Today Sen. Barack Obama is in Manhattan to commemorate the 9/11 attacks. We will never forget those who died, he said in a solemn

Last month, the Florida Police Benevolent Association, a union that represents prison guards and other corrections officers, filed a lawsuit calling for a judge to strike down budget language that would privatize prisons in 18 South Florida counties. The union’s complaint is embedded below. # The union has long questioned the financial benefits of privatization and the calculus behind the 7 percent savings mandated by Florida statutes.